


Burned Out

by Sar_Meister



Series: The SUFU - Steven Universe Fictional Universe [1]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Mystery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2019-10-25 21:36:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17733110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sar_Meister/pseuds/Sar_Meister
Summary: In the Darkness of night a Eternal Flame flickers, and a shadow is born across Beach City.





	1. Have you seen my Flame Baby?

**Author's Note:**

> This work was helped by  
>  https://archiveofourown.org/users/ValkerieRupert/pseuds/ValkerieRupert
> 
> and a good friend of mine by the name Tungul
> 
> I hope ya enjoy and supporting me, if ya don't like that's alright you don't have to read, however if you do, please keep an open mind.

Sapphire’s POV  
Sapphire started to grow worried. Ruby had been gone the night before, yet still, she wasn't home the following morning. She had tried Ruby's phone multiple times, though as of yet no answer and no returned calls. Each second caused Sapphire’s poor heart to thump hard against her chest as she dialed up a number she hoped she’d never have to call.

“Thanks for calling the Beach City Police force, how may I help you?" Came a rather nasally and smarmy voice.

"I... My w-wife... R-Ruby is missing... she hasn't returned home all night!... And I can't reach her!" Sapphire said quickly, tears streaming down her face as she struggled to keep talking. Though her voice cracked from time to time, struggling against the overbearing urge to sob her heart out.

As if taking note of the serious situation, and how close the woman was on the verge of becoming a sobbing mess, the operator went to work to talk her through the situation. 

“Alright miss, I’m going to need to breathe and walk me through this.” The operator paused, letting Sapphire steady herself and hold onto the last shreds of her self control. “Now, tell me what does your wife, Ruby, look like?” The operator asked, causing Sapphire to shift gears and push through the questioning.

“Sh-she’s 5.5 ft tall, wi-with dark skin, muscular well-built body, and… the most beautiful bright red eyes…” Sapphire said softly, her body feeling chilled as she was overwhelmed with horrible possible thoughts on what happened.

“Mhm, mhm, what was she wearing the last time you saw her?” She asked calmly. 

“S-she had worn a button up white shirt, black work pants, with her blood red suspenders… her c-cute… suspenders…” Sapphire started saying, cracking up with tears as she thought more and more of the Ruby she loved.

Seeming to realize that she was losing the caller, the police operator proceeded to work quickly, firing off a final question as Sapphire found her last remnants of control waning. “Alright miss, if you’ll just give me your street address I’ll route some officers your way so that they can better help you.”

Returning once more to the land of the living, Sapphire took a deep breath. “I… I live at 604 Baskerville street… I… It’s th-the purple house at the end of the road...”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When the police had arrived, they had gone over everything that had happened before Ruby left the previous night. Through it all, Sapphire felt like she was going on autopilot, falling into a persona of absolute tranquility and calmness. Eventually, the officers left with one of them, officer Carnelian, promising that if any news came up she’d be notified. Soon after her longtime friend Rose Quartz came to visit her, offering her signature hugs.

“Oh Sapphire, I’m here for you sweetheart.” Rose said in her caring tone, like a mother comforting her child. “I… I saw the police here… would you mind telling me what happened?” 

“Oh Rose… R-Ruby’s has gone missing!” Sapphire said, shaking in her friend's great comforting embrace, which felt like a giant pillow giving her a bear hug. Her ice cold demeanor breaking down while in Rose’s arms.

“What? What do you mean missing, Sapphire? What happened?” Rose asked.

“Ru-Ruby… went out last night… she was called by some of her w-w-war buddies for a game of poker… Sh-she said she would b-be back before midnight, but sh-she never returned!” Sapphire said, her body shook with each pain filled sob as her mind rushed with all the worse possibility.

“Are you sure she isn’t… I don’t know, maybe she just forgot?” Rose offered weakly, hoping to comfort Sapphire and give her some hope. “Here, I’ll start making some calls to some of her war buddies. I’ll even bake some of my special comfort cookies.” Rose said with a hearty giggle, Sapphire could only smile and nod at how happy her friend appeared. 

“Th-thank you Rose… you were always the best.” She said hugging the large woman one last time, letting go as Rose made her way into the neat and homey kitchen.

It had a 50’s era feel to it which always did bring a smile to Rose’s face whenever she was around. Unfortunately, this wasn’t one of those times. As she grasped the various ingredients, she took out her phone and started dialing the number of one of the few war buddies Rose actually had the phone number of.

Ring.

Ring ring.

Ring ring ring.

The sound of the line being picked up was soon followed by a familiar gruff voice.

“Yeah, what’re you calling about Ruby?” Came the response, it was short and to the point.

“Hey, Jasper…” Rose said, feeling her throat tighten up slightly from hearing the woman’s voice once more.

“Rose… What the fuck are you calling me for?” Jasper asked, her voice cutting through the line as if she were right next to Rose, it seethed with heated emotions brought on by painful memories.

“Did you happen to see Ruby last night… during the annual poker night?” She asked, hoping she could pacify her friend’s fears.

“Ruby, yeah I saw her, along with Bismuth, Holly, Eyeball, and Emerald if I remember correctly. Why are you asking?” Jasper asked suspicious over Rose’s tone, something didn’t sit right with her.

“Do you know where Ruby is? She didn’t return home last night… and Sapphire is getting worried about her.” Rose said, hoping that Jasper could at least help her.

“Hmmmmmm, well we had our annual poker game, then we watched some boxing matches… I remember she had wanted to go out for a walk that night. Though, it was kinda weird, like a sudden decision.” Jasper said as she thought over the events of the night before.

“Oh, who’s place was it held this time?” Rose decided to ask, thinking this might help locate Ruby.

“We decided that it would be a good idea to have it over at Holly’s place. My tv was busted and Holly has a pretty decent area to roughhouse in like old times.” Jasper said nonchalantly before adding. “If I remember right, she was heading towards the lighthouse.”

This confused Rose as she mulled over this information, normally Ruby avoided the lighthouse, mostly because of who lived there. “Did she at least bring her cell phone with her?” Rose asked as she tried to piece together what was going on.

“I'm not sure, what do I look like her fucking handler!?” Jasper grunted, clearly annoyed by the questioning.

“N-no, I was just hoping that you might check there… being a detective for the beach city police force, and it would mean a lot to Sapphire…” Rose said, trying her best to calm Jasper down before she got any angrier than she was already. “I know you don't agree with all their views but… can't you put that aside for now to help a fellow soldier.”

There was a long silence on the other end as Jasper seemed to think it over. This left Rose to wait for her answer, the only indication the call was still going was that she hadn’t heard the call end.

With a great sigh, Jasper answered. “Fine, but next time… just get to the fucking point, and don't talk to me again… I did you that favor once… it doesn't mean we're buddies.”

The line ended leaving Rose with a sigh of relief that the devil woman was no longer on the line. Composing herself, Rose hot to work making her worried friend some of her super comfort cookies.


	2. Jasper on the Case

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Detective Jasper is on the case, and the mystery begins to truly unfold.

Jasper POV

After hanging up on the phone, Jasper groaned at having to work on her off day. Getting up she looked to the left, down the hallway at her daughter’s alien sticker covered door, no noise was coming from it. Taking a look at the time, 2:15 pm, she grew confused, normally she was up by now. Shrugging slightly, Jasper decided it would be better to leave it alone for the time, as there were more important matters on her hands. Passing various papers and letters about student loans and psychiatric help, she scoffed with a roll of her eyes. 

When she got outside she was met with a rush of cold air, the signs of winter were fast approaching. Entering into her muscle car, a Mustang two which she prided herself greatly for, and started the ignition.

_____________________________________________________________________________

By the time Jasper got to the lighthouse, some storm clouds had started to roll in, giving her a feeling of foreboding. 

“Ruby… you better be alive… or I'm gonna kick your ghost ass in the afterlife.” Jasper said aloud, each step taking her closer and closer to the one obstacle in her way. When she knocked on the door it seemed to echo, though other than that only the rumbling of the sky greeted her.

Upon opening the door, she found that the living area was a mess, furniture was overturned, the tv was busted and there seemed to be a dark stain on the already brown floor. She felt a shiver go through her body, already having an idea of what she would find. As she followed the dark stains, she found they came down from the main floor towards the basement. Once she reached the final step Jasper could only give the tired sigh of one who'd seen her fair share of comrades killed in the line of duty. There before her was Ruby, a short stack hothead that had done far more than anyone could have asked for in the line of duty.

Her signature bandana was wrapped around her throat, as if in an attempt to stop the blood flow of the large wound in her neck. From the looks of it she was caught in surprise, and she seemed to have fallen down the stairs rather than being dragged down them. Pulling out her cellphone, she dials 911 and lets the Operator answer. 

“Hello, Beach City police department, how may I help you?” Came the familiar nasal voice. 

 

“Hey Gelb, It’s Jasper, I found Ru-... I found Ruby’s body… She’s in the lighthouse.”Jasper said with less of her usual bravado and arrogance.

Gelb seemed to stammer on the line as Jasper waited patiently for her to do her job. Meanwhile, she looked over the crime scene, trying to discern what had led to this tragic event. From what Jasper could see it was sudden, it had to be given the lack of defensive wounds, and besides her bandana being around her neck and the rugged clothes that would come from falling down the stairs so she could rule out sexual assault, though she'd still let the M.E. check to make sure.

As she got up the steps she heard the litter patter of rain on the roof and the sound of approaching police sirens. Today was gonna be another long day.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When the police arrived, it was officer Carnelian who greeted her first, getting the rundown of what happened and why Jasper was there. It was a very boring affair for Jasper as she waited for the cops to finish closing off the area. Soon enough her sister arrived in a convertible, wearing conservative business skirt and blouse that was all form fitting, even if there wasn't much to show off. Something that Jasper liked to tease her about.

“Hey, Jasp… funny seeing you here…” Skinny said was she walked over towards Jasper. 

Jasper had to tilt her head down thanks to their size difference. “Yeah, just was out doing a favor.” 

“Oh, who was the favor from? Cause I can't even get you to grab a beer when you’re on a day off.” Skinny said with a mildly surprised look on her face. 

“it was from Rose…”Jasper seemed to growl out. “Figured I owed Sapphire and Ruby to check it out…” Jasper said with a soft sigh, feeling far more tired than anyone should feel.

As if noticing Jasper's cracking facade, Skinny gently placed a hand onto her shoulder and cheek. “Hey, you gonna be alright?” She asked with a hint of worry in her tone. 

Jasper gave a small chuckle. “Yeah, just needing that vacation to come sooner…” Jasper said jokingly, seemingly refreshed.

“Yeah, well mind if I crash at your place? The missus is in an ornery mood, and I’d rather try and avoid her during that.” Skinny said, in what sounded like a joking tone to Jasper. Though, she’d seen her wife mad at her sister before, and while she’d laugh about it, it did always put her off.

“Yeah, you can even keep Peridot company while I talk to Sapphire.” She said with a soft sigh at the task she had ahead of her.

“Y-yeah, sure thing… it'll be fun hanging with my favorite niece.”Skinny said with a smug smirk.

“She's your only niece.” Jasper said as they shared a bellowing laugh.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

By the time Jasper stopped in front of Ruby and Sapphire’s house, she had already run through all the potential ways to break the news to Sapphire. A woman she had originally hated, but grown to respect over the years. None of the options looked particularly good, but Jasper knew that she couldn’t just back down from this. She owed it to Ruby to do it personally. The rain pelted her as soon as she stepped out of the car, but the storm had eased up into a light rain that didn’t faze Jasper. Climbing up the stairs to the front door, she gave it three firm knocks that shook the door in its hinges.

It was only after a moment of waiting that the door open to reveal the tiny woman that was Sapphire. She wore a small form-fitting blue blouse and her hair was tied in a bun.

“H-hey Jasper… um, wh-what are you doing here?” She asked softly, appearing like she was a small leaf in the oncoming wind.

“I… I regret to inform you, Sapphire… We found Ruby.”Jasper started, feeling terrible for what she was about to tell her. “She was found dead in the lighthouse basement. Where she had been stabbed in the neck and from the looks of it tried to stop the blood flow with her bandana… but… it wasn’t enough…” Jasper said, feeling her chest tighten as the hopeful look in Sapphire’s eyes slowly changed into pain and filled with tears.

As if a dam had burst Sapphire began to sob openly. Jasper pulled her into a tight embrace, hoping she could comfort the tiny woman in her hour of need. Gently she rubbed the back of the crying woman, uncertain of what to do as she did what she remembered her sister used to do for her during one of her episodes.

Eventually, Jasper got the brilliant idea to take Sapphire inside besides being an awkward giant. Once inside she got her to sit down on her Danish modern couch, another 50's era item they had filled their home with. Just as she got Sapphire comfortable, she felt her brick of a phone vibrate with a text message. Checking the Cell number, she found that it was the Chief telling her that she was on the case and that she needed to meet up with the M.E. for the autopsy.

“Hey, work needs me… but I'm going to call Rose to watch over you.” She said to Sapphire, her eyes still filled with tears as she thought over her lost love.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It was already nearing 9 pm by the time Jasper had been able to get to the precinct. Upon entering autopsy she saw their Medical Examiner dressed in her work attire, as she looked over the body.

“So what's the verdict doc?” Jasper asked crudely as she looked over her shoulder to her dead comrade.

The doctor gave a tired sigh as she took a step back. Her dark hair with small silver streaks covered by her scrub cap, removing her face mask she turned to Jasper. “Detective Jasper, I would prefer it if you didn’t butcher the good title of doctor by abbreviating it.” She said with a slight grimace.

Jasper chuckled at her response. “As feisty as always doc Priyanka, anyway, what can ya tell me about our… victim on the table.” She said nothing to the de-clothed and forever resting Ruby.

“Well, you were right about one thing in your initial report, it wasn't sexually motivated from the looks of it. Nothing to suggest anything of the sort, it's more likely the reason for her messed up clothing is it's what happened in a struggle, or perhaps even after.” Priyanka said with a shake of her head. “But it was the stab to the neck that killed her, it nicked her major artery right there, and effectively the victim's body worked against her. Even with the bandana, it wouldn't have helped for long.” 

“Damn… what a way to go for a soldier… not on the battlefield, but the home front. Do ya got an estimated time of death?” Jasper asked, wanting to find the bastard that did this to one of her fellow comrades.

“Well, given the temperature from the liver, the coagulation of the blood, and when the last reported sighting of the victim, I'd say... Around 2200 to 100, couldn't be any later or earlier than that Jasper.” Priyanka said with certainty and a certain amount of pride in her word and skills as a medical professional.

“Thanks, doc, want me to bring ya anything before I take off for the night?” Jasper asked, feeling like doing something nice for another.

“No, not really… though if you see Gregory Universe, let him know his monthly examination is coming up within this weekend.” She responded with a rather strange tone she'd never heard the doc use before.

“Suuuuure… Whatever ya want, doc.” Jasper said one final time, intending to make a beeline towards her home. Ready to face what she felt was odd pleasantness ever since she retired.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there, if you're reading this then you made it to the end of the chapter YAY!
> 
> Now please feel free to comment and chat, give constructive criticism so that I can get better and the like.
> 
> Hope ya'll have a wonderful day.
> 
> Also Gelb is German for Yellow, just wanted to point that out.


End file.
